In a deeply personal episode of Soul Yatra with Sharat released on November 22, 2025, Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri and his wife, veteran diplomat Lakshmi Puri, opened up about their remarkable five-decade journey of love, diplomacy, and public service.

The couple, who first met as young civil servants in Mussoorie in the early 1970s, recounted how a batchmate friendship blossomed into marriage despite coming from different cultural backgrounds. What began as shared notes and long walks in the hills evolved into a lifelong partnership that took them across the globe, from Tokyo to Geneva, New York to London, and eventually to the highest echelons of Indian governance.

Speaking candidly, Hardeep Puri shared rare anecdotes from his diplomatic postings: negotiating with LTTE leadership, managing tense moments across the border, and discovering the “soft power” of Indian culture and cuisine as ambassadors. Lakshmi Puri, former Assistant Secretary-General of UN Women and Deputy Executive Director of UN Women, reflected on breaking glass ceilings in multilateral diplomacy and championing gender equality on global platforms.

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The conversation also touched on their transition from foreign service to domestic politics, with Hardeep Puri recalling how Prime Minister Narendra Modi invited him to join the government in 2017. “From picking up time management in Tokyo to being asked to serve in PM Modi’s team, it has truly been a Soul Yatra worth every step,” he said.

Lakshmi Puri spoke warmly of their partnership as one rooted in mutual respect and shared purpose, describing how they supported each other through demanding postings and historic moments that shaped India’s global image. The couple’s Instagram post about the episode captured the essence: “A journey that began five decades ago as batchmates, colleagues, and friends later transformed into a love story… and marriage, despite being from different cultures.”

The hour-long episode, already trending across platforms, has been praised for offering a rare glimpse into the personal lives of two of India’s most prominent public figures while celebrating enduring partnership, cultural harmony, and a lifetime dedicated to nation-building.

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